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@gbj_tester
Your theory is wrong. You don't need to be clipped in to apply positive torque all the way round the crank revolution, because ankling. Of course, ankling doesn't actually matter when you're clipped in, and there is no evidence that it matters at all, but if you follow Grant Petersen, the chances are that you ankle like an old retrogrouch and therefore it still doesn't make a hap'orth of difference whether you have a freewheel or not.
In fact, if you couldn't apply positive torque all the way round without being clipped in, it would actually be physically impossible to ride a bike with flat pedals and a freewheel! At some point, you would stop turning the pedals, and with no drive from the rear wheel you would never be able to get past that dead spot.