Do you ever just want to kick someone's.... (Page 2)

I can get like this too - all in goo danture of course.  There are some people in my tri club that are at about the same level as I so whenever we are in a race together I always look out for them.  It makes me a better racer because I push a little harder than I would otherwise. 

I'm not sure her person isn't already competing - even without a formal challenge.  I would approach the challenge at its own level, and push when I could, especially if I knew I had at least 5 minutes more than her. I have couple friends that I've ridden with, and I take that approach. If I know I can go 5 more minutes at pace X, I do it.  When they call "Uncle" ahead of me, I look strong.  (Full disclosure - after I've done this to them a couple of times, I confess how close I was to calling it a day to them.  No hard feelings, and we both improve as a result).  One of them can totally smoke me going uphill, but I have slightly more endurance than him, so I can go a little longer, forcing him to call for the break ahead of me. We are both getting better in our respective weak areas, so the competition is good for us.

OTOH, we actually like each other, and aren't being underhanded (mostly) in beating the other guy.

I'm not competitive at all.  But if I were... [insert malicious laugh here]

If you really want to knock her down a couple notches and you KNOW you can take her, set up some sprint zones prior to the ride.  When everyone gathers and discusses the route, mention that you'd like to add in 3 or 4 sprints... just to change up the ride a bit and give you a chance to add something extra to your workout.  We've done something like this in our cycling club, but it has nothing to do with knocking someone down in their ego... it's strictly for fun.

Set one sprint to be someplace on a flat stretch where you can REALLY push... maybe approaching an intersection with a "Stop Ahead" sign as the finish line.  Set another sprint at the top of a hill.  Put the last somewhere else that you know you can hammer.  Make sure that prior to the ride EVERYONE (especially the person that you want to notch down a bit) is clear on how the sprints will work so there is NO complaining or slighting the winner.

Up the ante by offering a small prize to the winner of the most sprints... maybe even something as simple as a frozen Snickers bar as a post ride reward.

And when you ride, make sure you do your dern best to take the sprints. When you regroup with your riding buddies, assuming you're the winner, take the frozen Snickers bar out and take a bit ol' bite out of it.  Savor it.  Devour it.  And enjoy watching her take the drive of shame towards home.

She'll probably stop by a convenience store to get a Snickers bar to make herself feel better.  HA!

-Joel