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@Buffalo_Bill
Coppi won the Tour in 1949 (not 1947! any serious cycling scholar knows that the first post War Tour was won in dramatic fashion by Jean Robic) and 1952. I can't say for sure, but it's virtually certain that he was riding gears. Coppi was very scientific in his preparation, and it's hard to believe that the Campionissimo would sacrifice a whole bunch of time (which he would certainly lose on the descents) simply to ride a fixie.
Coppi could and did ride the track - he broke the Hour record at the Vigorelli in 1942, and rode a major track meets across Europe - including the Good Friday meet at Herne Hill Velodrome.
There's a brief list of his wins here:
http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=2679