This post involves a giveaway. A cool one. But as always, I want to be crystal clear: Prize and promotional images have been provided and I have been compensated by The Coca-Cola Company, but I (Katy Widrick) am responsible for all opinions and information provided in this post — they are provided by me and not The Coca-Cola Company. Opinions are 100% honest and not influenced by The Coca-Cola Company or representatives. To see my full disclosure policy, click here.
It’s been more than a year since I was on my beloved Sugar Shorts. Yes, I named my bike. When you spend several hours a week together, you need something to make the bonding process easier, right?
(And I don’t mean literally bonding, although there used to be training rides so long and painful that I did feel stuck to the seat.)
I’d already started feeling the symptoms of bike burnout before I got pregnant, and since it is a bicycle built for two, I decided to put ol’ SS in storage while I grew a human. It was a nice break. We missed each other. And now it’s time to start getting to know one another again.
This week, I am pulling Sugar out and dusting her off. This weekend, I’ll be testing out the tires. And hopefully, this is the first step in my triathlon comeback. I’m nervous and excited and wondering if maybe I’m just a little bit nuts.
And you know how life has a funny way of kicking you in the butt? I’d just started thinking about Sugar when a representative for The Coca-Cola Company reached out to ask if I’d be willing to try the new Dasani Drops and — wait for it – give away a bike. And if I’m going to give you a chance to get back on the road, I need to do it myself, right?
I also got to try out the Dasani Drops myself. First, a few notes, then the good and the bad.
- flavors come in Strawberry Kiwi, Pink Lemonade (husband’s fave), Pineapple Coconut (my fave!) and Mixed Berry
- you actually put the Drops into your water, so you can control how intense the flavor is
- the bottle is designed to be small enough to take on the go
- obviously, staying hydrated is an important part of a healthy lifestyle* (not only is it good for you, but you tend to crave water and hydration when you’re sweating)
GOOD
- They taste really good! I was a little worried because of the artificial sweetener (see below under BAD) but I didn’t think the flavors were overly syrupy or “fake” tasting. For me, I found that less was better than more, or else my water tasted like a melted popsicle.
- Zero calories meant that I wasn’t worried about overdoing it by drinking my calories.
- Adding the drops to sparkly water was amazing!
- I love the bottle’s small size (it fits in the zipper pocket of my cycling kit as well as the little bento box that I have on the bike)
BAD
- The Drops have a less-than-stellar ingredient list, including artificial colors and sweeteners (Splenda). I used to be pretty militant about my labels, and I still try to avoid fake foods as much as possible. But I have backed off a bit (see “Life is Better With Mayonaise“) and let myself indulge in some treats like Diet Coke, flavored coffee creamer, etc. In the first weeks after having a baby, I needed near constant hydration (thank you, breastfeeding) and couldn’t choke down plain water all the time, so I added flavor drops and it helped a LOT.
- The Drops tended to stain my plastic cups and straws a bit. A few runs through the dishwasher solved it, but the bright colors tended to linger.
And now, for the giveaway.
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- Dasani Drops
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- Mountain Bicyle
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- Cruiser Bicyle
The prize package includes coupons for Dasani Drops and Dasani Water as well as a Dasani-branded bike (winner to choose between a mountain bike and a beach cruiser).
RULES:
To enter, you MUST fill out the Rafflecopter widget below. You have several options to get more entries but you are required to leave a blog comment answering the question: if you win the bike, what nickname will you give it? The winner will be selected at random and will be notified by email. In the event that the winner does not meet requirements, a new winner will be selected. Prize and promotional images have been provided and blogger has been compensated by The Coca-Cola Company, but I (Katy Widrick) am responsible for all opinions and information provided in this post — they are provided by me and not The Coca-Cola Company. Opinions are 100% honest and not influenced by The Coca-Cola Company or representatives. Winner will be drawn after 11:59 p.m. ET. on March 15, 2013.
*the whole “you need water” thing is up for debate, and it’s one that I’m paying attention to because I am a nerd: ”How Much Water Should I Drink?” via The Huffington Post.
About Katy
If I won a bike it would be for the husband, but he’d never actually call it a nickname. I’m thinking “The Dude”.
Oh, and my bikes definitely do have names. My hybrid is “Star the Trek” (a Trek of course) and my road bike is “Specialized Snowflake” (a Specialized of course). I call them “Star” and “Snowflake” for short
I just saw these in the local grocery yesterday. Not sure I am ready to try them yet.
I will call the bike the Ericaciser!
Thanks so much!
Fun giveaway! And I have to say, for all the posts like this that I’ve seen popping up, yours was still original! If I won the bike I would name it….I don’t know. Probably something ridiculous. Like in the middle of mountain biking in NC this summer, a name would probably come out like “Sir Bumps a Lot” or “Rocky”.
If I win the bike, I’ll name her…yes her, Night Raven! Sounds tough like me!
I like this giveaway. Very creative. I think my name for it would be “White Ninja”
“steeeeellllaaaaaa” no?
if i win the bike, i would want the mountain bike and i would name it hilly!
Hmm.. I think I would nickname my bike “Charlie” because this is as close as I can come to getting a dog at the moment and that’s what I would name a dog if I had one
I would seriously name him Englebert. Mainly because of this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETbw-hqT5KU
I’m always saying, “Heck yes again!” now.
Penelope Cruiser
If I would the bike I would name it Mr. Wheels.
I would totally pick the beach cruiser and name her Glider!
Kiss my sneaks – because after all the hard working out I’ve done this year my family will realize an incredibly full life,including exercise, is possible!
I would call my bike Turtle. That’s my favorite animal and that’s probably how slow I would ride it at first. I’m sort of afraid of bikes but have been meaning to get back on one recently.
I would name my bike Huck, for Huckleberry Finn. That way we could go on adventures! haha! I always think of riding my bike around as a kid and I definitely miss it. That cruiser bike would be so great!
I’d nickname the bike “Lucky”
This is a super great giveaway! I would name her Sally!
I would name bike Lucy!
Hmmmm, I would name by bike “All Day.” It’s my workout mantra, as in “I can run ALL DAY!” Thanks for a great contest Katy!
I’d call it my Cruiser!
It would be for hubby and we would call it Adventure. Because we could go on family adventures.
Since he would be an aide to renewed fitness, I would name him Gnume (new me)
I’d definitely call it the “comeback”. I haven’t owned a bike since I was twelve. I hope the expression about riding a bike is true…
I love nicknames! I think I would call mine Sugar Britches
Hmm.. if I won the mountain bike, she’d most likely be used in a state like Florida or Delaware, so I’d go with “Flatlander”. LOL
I haven’t had a bike since I was 14… but I keep thinking I should try it again. Especially now that I have a baby, she may want to go on bike rides in a few years! I guess I’d have to name it something like “Memory”, because they say you never forget how to ride a bike, right? Or I’d give it the name I got from a stripper name generator, Fantasia Nightbrook.
Would love to try these…a free bike would be good too.
I would name my beach cruiser Sandy.
I’d get the white beach cruiser and name it Fancy Pants!
White Thunder? or HOWie (Hell On Wheels).
“Need for Speed”
pokey lol
“Lola”… perfect name for a beach cruiser!
Mickey
LOVE the drops for a little flavor on the go! Didn’t think to add them to sparkling water though … genius! I’d have to think hard about a good bike name haha
My New Best Friend
Holy exciting giveaway!!!
I have been doing Crossfit for a few months now and starting to realize my athletic potential. One of our coaches is a triathlete, and so is my new running club coach, so it seems like something I *can* aspire to do sometime, even though the thought is terrifying.
I would name mine, “Warrior”
It would have to be – DAISY
I’d name my bike Cassie, after my favorite dog and original training partner who has since passed on. She was a pretty tough girl!
My current road bike is blue so I nicknamed her “Blue Steel”. These appear to be white bikes, so maybe “White Ice”. (Don’t ask where these come from as I have no idea!)
hmmm white lightening? That sounds nice. I’d love a bike!!
I would name it daisy or something girly
id name my bike sassy
I would name my bicycle after Chuck Norris… Who once broke the Land speed record on a bicycle That was missing its chain and back tire.
I would choose the cruiser and would name it peachy beachy for where I would ride it
Me and my “Cruisin’ Susan”
I think I’d name my bike Zippy, cause I could zip through traffic!
I am not one for naming bikes or cars. If I had to pick a name I think White Lightning would fit the bill.
Seeing as my racing bike is Ethel, I think that my fun bike would have to be named Lucy!
If I win the Bike I would nickname it Shirley as in SURELY I am going to Ride Bike today!
I’d name it Bubba
I would nickname the bike Lean Biking Machine : )
Goalie!
i’d name it lazy daisy
i will name after my girls ScarlettPrisci!
bruiser the cruiser!
I will name it after my grandma that recently passed Rosa
I would name the bike Captain Crunch…or some other demolishing cereal. I love the idea of using cereal names (nerd) and for some reason I feel like a good mountain bike will crunch the crap out of some twigs and trails.
White lightning
My daughter would greatly enjoy this – I’ll name it her “Blazin’ Blueberry!”
I LOVE this!!! I would call mine the Mary-lander
gus!
I would name it Binkey (my beloved cat’s name)
I would name my bike Tonto because I would ride off into the sunset like the Lone Ranger.
I would name my bike Larry! It was the name I gave my first car.
Stan. I always want to name everything Stan.
Great comment idea. I would name the cruiser Charlie.
My Ipad went crazy and I ended up posting under the wrong entry. I apologize for that.
I would want the cruiser and name it “Whoa.” Haven’t had much luck with bikes….LOL
I would nickname it SUMMER because that’s all I’m dreaming about right now!
I would name it “zippy” bc I’d be zipping around on it!
Maybe my blue bike…if it’s Blue?
If I Won and could Nickname My Bicycle I would Name it SofaKingBad!
Healthy Holly works for me! I’ll be healthy and jolly too so a nice fun combo would make my partner Healthy Holly!
Rough Rider for the mountain bike!
I would name the bike Cay. like… Beach island…
I would name the bike jigglenomo
if I won the bike I would nickname it “my car” with these gas prices ill be riding the bike everywhere;)
My current bike I refer to a Ol’ Yeller (it’s yellow), so I suppose I would call it some sort of color-inspired name.
I would nickname my bike “Fella” that way I could say I’m taking my Fella out for a ride
Hmm…at the moment I’m leaning towards Ramble On. I’m not a racer, I’m a rambler. Okay, so technically that refers to walking, but that’s how I take to the bike paths as well.
Absolutely! My favorite transportation nickname was ‘Big Sexy’ – a name my husband gave to a church van he had the pleasure of driving around town back in the day. I’d make naming the bike a family project.
If I win, I want the mountain bike and I would call it my Rockford Buddy since it will be used to get me to parks and trails I have never been to and + I will then be able to joining my town’s biking club with it too:)
I would name it Sweetie, short for My Sweet Ride. Such an exciting opportunity!
I would name it the Cruiser.
I’d name it bruiser (I’d want the cruiser) I have a thing for things named after what they are like my car is Rhonda the Honda and I named my husbands (which was mine until he stole it because he hates the Honda) Lola the carolla
If I won the bike *fingers crossed* I’d name it “Fool’s Paradise” – I’m an April Fool baby and I love working that in to my everyday life.
Hmm…Spinner comes to mind…or Fancy Fran…I’m being a bit random, here, I know, but I think I would ‘know’ when she came to me (the bike is definitely a her).
Champ
“The Anchor” because its been so long since I’ve rode that I would be the anchor pulling my group down…
White Knight
My Precious!!
I would name it Rue!