Development Shunsuke Imamura retains Japanese time trial title

Shunsuke Imamura has proudly worn the distinctive red-and-white Japanese time trial jersey for the past year, and he will continue to do so after once again claiming the national time trial title today. Following the Four Days of Dunkirk, Imamura returned home to focus entirely on the national championships. “Of course, after that busy month of May, I returned to Japan with a clear goal: to defend my national title,” he explained. “I was quite nervous about it. It was very important for me to bring the national champion’s jersey back to the team.”

“The course was mostly flat, so that was not the main challenge. The heat and humidity, however, made the race very demanding,” Imamura continued. “I started to fade a little towards the end, but I tried to pace my effort as well as possible and managed to hold on all the way to the finish.”

His strategy paid off, as he secured a second consecutive national title in the elite category. “I’m very happy about that. I would like to thank everyone who supported me along the way. Now it’s time to prepare well for the road race later this month and fight for another national title.”

Picture: Tomoko Sanaka