If you can, get proper triathlon cycle shoes or road bike shoes and cleats for your bike. This allows you to use your pedal stroke more efficiently and develop a more powerful pedal stroke compared to looser cages.

To make the most of your cleats, incorporate cycling drills into your warm up and cool down in bike training. One-leg drills are best done on a turbo trainer. This drill encourages you to not only push down on the pedal but develop a smooth circular motion, ideally eliminating the 'dead spot' at the back/top of your pedal stroke which signals a sub-optimal technique.

The drill is simple: unclip one leg and pedal for 30-60 seconds concentrating on a smooth cycle in a relatively hard gear. Repeat with the other leg and then repeat on each leg another two times.