Together with his coach Johan Röjler, van der Poel has made a plan that will give him the best conditions to stand high on the podium at the Olympics in Beijing.
- We went on ice later this year than last year in the hope of achieving better results in February, says coach Röjler.
van der Poel is in the skating rink Inzell, Germany, where he trained for a couple of weeks.
Qualifying for the Olympics is complicated.
It is about rankings and times at four different World Cup competitions during November and December.
And it is still uncertain how many races van der Poel needs to run.
One thing is for sure though.
It is possible to qualify directly for 10,000 meters in Stavanger in mid-November, 19-21.
- I really look forward to competing again.
But our approach is a small gamble, says van der Poel.
He admits that he will not top the form already for the qualifiers but aims for the Olympic Games in Beijing.
He coldly reckons that it will still be enough to qualify.
Van der Poel will remain in Inzell until the qualifying competitions start and feed lap after lap around the skating oval.
The damage he has suffered over a long period of time does not worry him.
It does not affect the skating itself.
- I'm probably the one who is least worried, says van der Poel and tries to instill calm in everyone in the team around.