They should be legal. Bars don't end pointing forward or up.
Problem with the bars was the extra position got where your knees go. You end up looking like you're holding the bars on a little kids bike - your arms end up straight down and down the middle.
Hence the Scott Rakes. These put you in a better spot.
There was a crossbar product too - a bar that bridged the drops just below the brake lever. That put your hands a bit higher but it was tricky getting to them as the tops of the (normal) bar got in the way of getting to the cross bar. Called Hammer-something I think. I saw pictures from this year where racers were using this bar.
The Drop In bars were stiff up top and by the levers because they were sooooo heavily built - thick tubing probably strong enough for a trunk rack. This is because the Drop In part was so far away from the stem (i.e. long bent tube between Drop In and stem) that they had to make these bars pretty heavy so that the Drop Ins didn't flex too much.
Bonus for me (with a little bike). I could wipe the front tire with my thumb without taking my hands off the bar - the Drop in section ended right next to the front tire.
If I were a TT/break type rider, I'd use the Rakes or the Cane Creek whatevers (at least in the US they're legal). But I can't go 25 mph on my own for any length of time so I save them just in case I get good all of a sudden. lol.
cdr
A couple pictures:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_TbmplkIYLx8/...oloradofrt.jpg
http://bp3.blogger.com/_TbmplkIYLx8/...i_SaltLake.jpg
http://bp0.blogger.com/_TbmplkIYLx8/...LakeValley.jpg