Penultimate day - Personal best day.

Only sixty eight miles today and all in a straight line on good old highway 84. How to liven it up? Well as Chris is probably as fit as he'll ever be after so much cycling this year he thought he'd have a go at a target he'd had in mind since he started cycling in 2010. He'd try to do 50 miles at an average of 20 mph or more. Previously his best was 19.6 mph with a strong group in this year's 50 in four. Keith wasn't interested but set off first from the outskirts of Valdosta while Chris stopped to look for a train. The tarmac was smooth and the road largely flat so I could maintain 22mph but it took 8 miles to catch my first sight of Keith and another 8 miles to catch up with him!

As Keith was slowly passed he did not stay on the wheel so it was back to a personal time trial which went well apart from getting stopped briefly by a flag man on roadworks. As 40 miles passed a headwind began to build and it got harder to hold speed but I passed 50 miles at 21.3 mph and to make sure, carried on to 51 miles before stopping with the average showing as 21.2 mph. Ye ha! 

After this it was only another 6 miles to the motel in the large town of Waycross which is dominated by a large spiders web of railroad tracks owned by CSX which sadly has a boring colour scheme. 

After a shower Mandy and I looked around the rail tracks and saw some trains clog up the town on the many level crossings. 

Chris after 51 miles at an average of 21.2 mph.

For more than 10 miles into Waycross they are making a new carriageway which starts with clearing and burning the vegetation. 

Two CSX locomotives wait near one of Waycross's large water towers. 

An American Post Office van delivering to our motel for tonight. 

Like school busses, post office vans are a specialist and rather antiquated looking design.