Some rivals you don’t beat. You just outgrow the level where they’re relevant.

Rivalry keeps you locked at the same size as the person you are measuring against. Everything you do gets compared to what they did, which quietly sets your ceiling at their level. The way out is usually not winning. It is getting interested in something bigger, until one day you notice you have not thought about them in a month.

Notice who you keep score against and ask what you would work on if they did not exist. Aim at that harder thing instead. You can stay friendly the whole time, because none of this requires them to lose.