diff --git a/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/ActiveEth2P2PNetwork.java b/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/ActiveEth2P2PNetwork.java
index 4851bf01133..6dd13b98f27 100644
--- a/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/ActiveEth2P2PNetwork.java
+++ b/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/ActiveEth2P2PNetwork.java
@@ -168,6 +168,8 @@ private synchronized void stopGossip() {
 
   @Override
   public void onSyncStateChanged(final boolean isInSync, final boolean isOptimistic) {
+    gossipForkManager.onOptimisticHeadChanged(isOptimistic);
+
     if (state.get() != State.RUNNING) {
       return;
     }
@@ -176,7 +178,6 @@ public void onSyncStateChanged(final boolean isInSync, final boolean isOptimisti
     } else {
       stopGossip();
     }
-    gossipForkManager.onOptimisticHeadChanged(isOptimistic);
   }
 
   @VisibleForTesting
diff --git a/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManager.java b/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManager.java
index 52462fa0390..3220469395c 100644
--- a/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManager.java
+++ b/networking/eth2/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManager.java
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ public class GossipForkManager {
   private final IntSet currentSyncCommitteeSubnets = new IntOpenHashSet();
 
   private Optional<UInt64> currentEpoch = Optional.empty();
+  private boolean isHeadOptimistic;
 
   private GossipForkManager(
       final Spec spec,
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ private GossipForkManager(
     this.spec = spec;
     this.recentChainData = recentChainData;
     this.forksByActivationEpoch = forksByActivationEpoch;
+    this.isHeadOptimistic = recentChainData.isChainHeadOptimistic();
   }
 
   public static GossipForkManager.Builder builder() {
@@ -141,6 +143,7 @@ public synchronized void stopGossip() {
   }
 
   public synchronized void onOptimisticHeadChanged(final boolean isHeadOptimistic) {
+    this.isHeadOptimistic = isHeadOptimistic;
     if (isHeadOptimistic) {
       activeSubscriptions.forEach(GossipForkSubscriptions::stopGossipForOptimisticSync);
     } else {
@@ -279,7 +282,7 @@ private void startSubscriptions(final GossipForkSubscriptions subscription) {
     if (activeSubscriptions.add(subscription)) {
       subscription.startGossip(
           recentChainData.getGenesisData().orElseThrow().getGenesisValidatorsRoot(),
-          recentChainData.isChainHeadOptimistic());
+          isHeadOptimistic);
       currentAttestationSubnets.forEach(subscription::subscribeToAttestationSubnetId);
       currentSyncCommitteeSubnets.forEach(subscription::subscribeToSyncCommitteeSubnet);
     }
diff --git a/networking/eth2/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManagerTest.java b/networking/eth2/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManagerTest.java
index f4460d3fe01..06a7cd3c39b 100644
--- a/networking/eth2/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManagerTest.java
+++ b/networking/eth2/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/networking/eth2/gossip/forks/GossipForkManagerTest.java
@@ -568,6 +568,19 @@ void shouldStartSubscriptionsInOptimisticSyncMode() {
     verify(subscriptions).startGossip(GENESIS_VALIDATORS_ROOT, true);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void shouldStartSubscriptionsInNonOptimisticSyncModeWhenSyncStateChangedBeforeStart() {
+    when(recentChainData.isChainHeadOptimistic()).thenReturn(true);
+
+    final GossipForkSubscriptions subscriptions = forkAtEpoch(0);
+    final GossipForkManager manager = managerForForks(subscriptions);
+
+    manager.onOptimisticHeadChanged(false);
+    manager.configureGossipForEpoch(UInt64.ZERO);
+
+    verify(subscriptions).startGossip(GENESIS_VALIDATORS_ROOT, false);
+  }
+
   private GossipForkSubscriptions forkAtEpoch(final long epoch) {
     final GossipForkSubscriptions subscriptions =
         mock(GossipForkSubscriptions.class, "subscriptionsForEpoch" + epoch);