If every new level is interpreted only through the past, then the past begins to limit the future.

Suspicion can become a psychological defense.

Mental mastery is an invisible but trainable skill.

The other day, I stumbled over an article in Canadian Cycling Magazine dealing with suspicion after Tadej Pogačar’s win in Milan–San Remo. Cycling, more than most sports, carries a past full of performance-enhancing drugs that cannot, and should not, simply be forgotten. Critical thinking matters. Blind belief is not a virtue. Never has been. Yet, there is a risk here—a subtle shift in which skepticism becomes the default lens. However, the past does not always repeat itself, neither in sport nor in people’s lives. It is well-known that people change because of the pain certain behaviors have caused. This realization led me to write this comment, proposing that extraordinary performance could be seen as an invitation to understanding, rather than merely a trigger for doubt. After all, what we may be witnessing in riders like Pogačar is not simply physical dominance—but something far less visible, and far less understood: mental mastery.

Modern sport has changed. It is not just about biology or technology; psychology matters, too. The question is no longer just: How strong is the athlete?........

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