I am hoping to go to Hawaii for about 3 weeks over the winter since I live in a not to warm place a stone's throw away from the canadian/us border.

I have never been to Hawaii before. Has anyone done their own training camp their before? Suggestions?

Which Island is best? I am a high level cyclist and will be riding about 400 miles a week for three weeks and so I probably want to be on one of the bigger islands. I also need to stay somewhere where there is very cheap lodging (i.e.) hostel and a gym nearby too so give multiple suggestions if you can so I can find a city that works.

Thanks for any tips =)

Also general info appreciated... mostly looking for a spot where there are lots of low traffic roads... Are some islands busy? How about the big island? Are there lots of low traffic roads there? I have no idea Hawaii is mostly big roads with lots of tourist traffic or wheather there are hundreds of miles of great back roads criss crossing the island with little traffic.

I spent 18 years of my youth on Oahu, but never really got into road cycling until went into the USAF and was stationed back in the states. Given a choice, I would say the Big Island would be the best for cycling with Kona being the best "cycling friendly" area. Nice wide roads and enchanting lunar landscapes. My second choice would be Maui. The climb and decent of Mount Haleakala is awesome. IMHO..Oahu is too crowded these days.

have ridden on Oahu, Maui and the Big island. Maui is by far the best.

I currently live on Oahu, and frankly riding here is scary as hell. I've had one near-fatal accident already this year and several near misses. Doesn't stop me from getting out there 5 days/week, but I wouldn't recommend it. The big Island is awesome... low traffic, wide, smooth roads. Never ridden on Maui, but I'd think Kauai would be great also. It's so beautiful, and the people are great.

Maui is the best. I was there for two weeks in September and rented a full Dura-Ace Cannondale CAAD8 (with LOOK Keo pedals included) at a reasonable price from West Maui Cycles in Laihana. But I later learned after the rental that Go Cycling Maui (gocyclingmaui.com) rents all-ti Litespeeds with compact cranksets to help you climb up to Mount Haleakala. Better yet, they offer supported rides with a team car; Donnie Archambauld is the owner of the bike shop and a former pro -- great guy, great rider and a great guide. From his shop at about 700-feet altitude you can ride all the way up to the 10,000-foot high summit of Haleakala. It's awesome -- Donnie said that the climb from his shop to Haleaka is tougher than Alpe d'Huez (which he has ridden, and thus can make the comparison).

Beware that Maui like the other islands has some 'tuff trade winds that generally come from the north, so make sure you plan your route in advance and watch out for those headwinds!

Check out Donnie's web site, there are some good pics of the rides he recommends so you get a sense of what to expect.

Sorry, this isn't smart but I didn't realize how small these islands are or that they just had a road around them. If I'm doing 5 long rides a week for 3 weeks, that means I'll have to circle the big island 15 times in a row.

Sounds great for a short trip in the spring but for a long winter training camp I will go somewhere else

Sorry, this isn't smart but I didn't realize how small these islands are or that they just had a road around them. If I'm doing 5 long rides a week for 3 weeks, that means I'll have to circle the big island 15 times in a row.

Sounds great for a short trip in the spring but for a long winter training camp I will go somewhere else

You won't be circling the big island in a day on a bike unless you're into multi-century rides every day with few places to replenish water or food along the way. Ohau, which is a fraction of the big island's size, is 112miles around the plublic portions. You'll also find a fresh lava flow obstructing your trip around the big island.

Unless you need to be training for a race in Hawaii or some other equally hot/hummid location, I think you could be choosing much better locations like Aus/NZ for your winter training. I have been to Hawaii a number of times with my bikes for training and/or races. The big island has much less traffic, but IMHO the traffic isn't bike friendly and you'll be spending most of your time riding over what can best be described as monotonous wastelands that do not support much in the way of life. If you are riding the big island, take some extra tires as the lava shards are much like glass and be careful from where you refill your water bottles. The other islands like Ohau and Maui are much prettier, but thick with traffic and you'll need to get used to repeating the same route alot. Accommodations ought to be cheapest on the big island - I would base myself out of Kona.