O'Grady's Tour ended when he crashed on the descent of the Cormet de Roselend climb, which took a costly toll on the peloton.

After being put on a special stretcher, used in case of eventual spinal injuries, he was taken immediately to hospital in nearby Moutiers where he underwent x-rays and was undergoing an MRI scan.

According to hospital officials O'Grady suffered fractures on five of his front ribs, three fractures in his back lower ribs, a punctured lung and a shoulder fracture.

X-rays and an MRI scan ruled out any spinal damage.

Earlier, his compatriot Michael Rogers, of T-Mobile, was left with hand, knee and shoulder injuries after a crash near the bottom of the descent. He was also forced out of the race.

Rogers was in the virtual yellow jersey and travelling in excess of 60km/h when a sudden braking manoeuvre brought him down on a left hand bend.

He was later diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder.

The Canberran later returned to the team hotel, where he was left lamenting what was a great chance to take control of the race.

"It's a real shame because I could see the yellow jersey," he said.

"One moment I was in the lead, the next I was lying on the ground with my back wheel where my front wheel should have been.

"But honestly, I can't complain because that's cycling."

O'Grady, the winner of the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic in April, was one of the team support riders for CSC's Spaniard Carlos Sastre.